


Never Too Late

by buryme



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Anyways, Drabbles, Fluff, M/M, al-khampis memories, and then current setting is ancheim, before i even got the game, before janne spills the gravy about why he's an orphan, gays, he dragged me into janyew hell, mostly evan's fault, while the gAng™ is trying to get to the skyhold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 08:51:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7501923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buryme/pseuds/buryme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another night of restlessness for Yew ends in a way he would never have expected, and so it goes . . .</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> SHIT MAN THIS WAS LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT'D BE

Ancheim. It's quiet, and late. Very late. The only thing you can really hear are the grinding of gears and the ticking of clocks. And among that, the loud, obnoxious snoring of a girl who seems to have no cares whatsoever about what others think about her. The rest breathe quietly, sleeping heavily from another long day. Save for one, who sits on the foot of the bed, waiting. 

Again, Yew was the only one who wasn't asleep. How could he sleep, knowing that the Skyhold, and Agnès, were just above them? It was driving him crazy, and once he heard the way Magnolia's breathing finally slowed and deepened, he knew she was truly asleep. Why? Because he was going to get out. 

He managed to get through the door of the small inn, and out onto the strangely built streets of Ancheim without anyone but the innkeeper noticing. Glancing around, waiting for his eyes to adjust slightly to the light change, the boy began to wander aimlessly down the street, up the stairs, until he was right in front of the large clock that defined the town. 

For some reason, the continuous ticking seemed to soothe him, made him relax. Yew turned away from the clock, and instead stared up at the sky, which, at this time at night, was clear. He could see all the stars, all the constellations so clearly, and that was the last of it. In that short moment, he was able to forget about how everything he was fighting was right behind him, and how he believed he really didn't have a chance. 

That he would die for nothing. Staring up at the sky and thinking about old times in Al-Khampis when Janne would drag him out to show him the stars, it brought a tiny smile to Yew's face. But no sooner had it surfaced, it disappeared again, and those careless feelings with it. No, instead, they were replaced by a sudden uneasiness, like he was being watched from afar. 

Though he knew that was very well possible, it still put him on edge. It felt more like someone was close by and had their eye on him. He became aware of his surroundings, and finally caught movement out of the corner of his eye, near the other side of the street. Whoever he'd seen clearly knew he'd seen them, because they started running. 

But, no. Yew /had/ seen him. The hair, the outfit that he knew so well. And why he was running? Because poor Janne was praying to the Crystals that he hadn't been seen. That Yew hadn't recognized him. 

But he had. He knew so well his former best friend, even down to the way he moved about. 

And what did he do? Instead of going back to the inn, he ran straight after Janne. Straight after the enemy. And straight into the unknown. He thought the taller boy was going to try and leave Ancheim altogether, until he suddenly changed direction and went right for Yew, gripping him by the front of his shirt. 

For a moment, he only studied his former classmate, before hissing out a single question: "Where are the others?" 

The little brunette opened his mouth to answer, but instead paused for a moment, just staring at him. "They.. They're not here. It's just me. They're asleep," he finally whispered. 

Janne's grip only tightened. "Are you carrying any weapons?" 

To this, Yew only shook his head. At this point, he was anticipating that his former best friend would just let him go and tell him not to say a word, but instead, ended up being dragged up the stairs and past the clock, and into a small alley that widened a little towards the back. 

Only then did Janne let go of him, and then slumped to the ground. Yew's heart was pounding in his throat, the image of the taller boy's dull, cold eyes seemingly drilling holes through his entire being unable to leave him. For a while, neither of them said anything. Janne simply sat there, hunched over, while Yew stared down at him, zoned out completely. 

It was the small brunette that ended up starting another conversation. 

"..Why did you believe me just now?" As soon as he finished the question, Janne was gripping his sleeve and yanking him down to eye level. 

"Should I have a reason not to, then?" 

Yew felt his breath hitch in his throat as he shook his head, gently grabbing the other's sleeve and pulling his hand away. Janne didn't seem to resist, only crossed his arms over his chest and turned away a bit. 

Though, his narrowed eyes were still fixated on Yew, who looked utterly defeated. 

"Janne, you.. You're acting like I'm the one who betrayed you." 

At that, in that split second, said male shot up and had the little brunette up against the wall by his throat, eyes wild. He said nothing. 

Yew, who was suddenly inspired, reached up to grip Janne's forearm, continuing. 

"A-And I get that. I guess you could see it that way. Just.. Just listen. Calm down and listen." After getting no response, he sighed. "This isn't you, Janne. This isn't the Janne I used to know." 

"Yeah, like hell it is. Are you that stupid? You really think I meant all th—"

"Yes, Janne. You know you did. I can tell the difference between when you were lying and when you weren't." 

The fencer loosened his grip, eventually settling on shoving Yew's hand off of him and backing to the wall parallel to the one he'd previously slammed his former friend against. 

"You really did care about me back then. Like in Al-Khampis, you didn't have to associate with me. You could have just left me alone. But you didn't. And we got to know each other. I know you. You're-.. You were my best friend."

That seemed to have struck Janne somewhere. As Yew stared at the dark-haired boy across from him, he could have sworn he spotted the tiniest little cringe flash across his face. 

"And I know you're still there. The old Janne, the Janne I knew. That part of you...it's just hiding." 

"Shut up, Yew. I.. I don't have time for your crap right now." Janne tilted his head up to the sky, where part of the Skyhold could be seen looming just above them. 

Yew took a step toward him. "Please. Just forget everything for one moment." No response, other than Janne's furrowed eyebrows. 

Another step. "I want to see the real Janne just one last time." 

Janne's chest throbbed. His frown faltered from an angry expression to one that seemed conflicted, as he was now fighting himself on the topic of responding. 

One more step, and Yew was about a foot away from him, very hesitantly reaching out. "..I miss you." The soft tone the brunette had used finally cracked Janne's little wall, and as he shut his eyes, he felt a pair of arms encircling him, and shaking beyond belief. 

He didn't resist the contact, but rather leaned into it, though his face still twisted into an expression of an internal struggle. This was Yew Geneolgia, his number one enemy. His enemy. His former best friend. His enemy. 

Eventually, he numbed out, slowly returning Yew's embrace, and resting his chin on the top of the other's head. A familiar gesture. Just like old times, back when he'd be offering comfort to the boy, or just because. His mouth seemed to be working faster than his brain tonight. 

"It's just...so hard to endure," he mumbled, feeling Yew's arms tighten around his waist. He could feel the smaller male's cheek resting on his chest, just above where his heart was. Yes, just like before, when Yew once told him that hearing the way his heart beat could calm him down. 

For a reason that he couldn't quite place, Yew had begun to smile. "I knew you were still here." Before he knew it, tears had begun to form in his eyes. Oh, he'd missed this, alright. He'd more than missed it. And before he could stop it, the brunette's chest was heaving, and those tears finally started spilling from his eyes. 

No, not here. Not now. Not with him. It'd been, what, four years since the last time he cried like this in front of Janne? But, he told himself, this was bound to happen. 

This was how it all used to be—when Yew got upset, he'd go to Janne immediately. His confidant, who always listened no matter what, even if he seemed like he wasn't. Since they'd been set apart, he just couldn't find a way to get out his feelings the way he used to. 

Of course, he trusted Edea, and Magnolia, and Tiz. He saw them as close friends. But even so, he still found himself unable to fully open up to them in the same way he used to with Janne. 

He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on the back of his head, running through his hair once and then staying there, tangled. Just that one little gesture and the feeling of Janne's tight embrace seemed to have relaxed him slightly. He'd forgotten about the tears that continued falling from his eyes while the memories from his school days swam through his mind. 

Apart from the gears, ticking, and Janne's occasional shushing, it was quiet. At that moment, to both of them, nothing else seemed to matter other than the fact that they were finally back where they felt secure. Revenge? Not now. A rescue? That could wait. 

After a while, as Yew's little sobs died down to soft sniffling, Janne spoke again. 

"Are you alright, now..? I know.. I've missed it, too." And that was all Yew needed to hear. A soft chuckle emitted from him, though it was a bit broken by a half-hearted sob. 

Janne sighed, very slowly and gently rocking the two of them from side to side, now resting his cheek on the top of the smaller boy's head. He began to hum a soft little tune, a lullaby whose origin he didn't remember. About a minute of this, and it appeared to have been enough to fully quiet Yew. 

"Thank you," he whispered, eventually pulling himself a bit away from the fencer. And, in return, Yew saw the one thing he hadn't expected to see ever again: one of Janne's gentle, genuine smiles. Not a shit-eating smirk like the one he wore regularly, not the grin accompanied by a slightly wild glint in his eye. A reflection of the Janne that only he saw. 

For a moment, they just stared at each other, still locked in each other's arms. Yew hadn't realized how close their faces were until he'd started studying Janne's face, his eyes, his lips, his facial structure. Too close. Well, neither of them were complaining. 

Yew wasn't completely sure how close they'd ended up, only aware of the fact that he could feel Janne's breath on his lips, when Ancheim's giant clock chimed three times. 3:00AM. He knew for a fact that the others would wake up soon, and finally pulled himself back fully, his hands trailing all the way down Janne's arms until he let go. 

"I.. I have to go. We usually get up early, and if they notice I'm gone.." He didn't need to continue. They both knew that the rest of Agnès' Avengers would immediately start looking for him. And if they caught him here..

"Yeah, you should." Janne's tone was beginning to return to that cold, hard state, and it sent a wave of pain through Yew's chest. Right, he told himself, he had only asked to see this side of Janne one more time. It'd never happen again. 

As he began to leave the alleyway, he was stopped by a hand on his sleeve, which effectively pulled him back. 

Very softly, keeping his eyes on the street, Janne spoke into Yew's ear. 

"Listen. I.. I didn't realize.." A short pause, as if he was trying to rephrase his thoughts. "I'll come back tomorrow. And the next day. And whenever you decide you need to just...forget, again, I'll be here. I'll wait here for you." 

Yew didn't know how those words could have affected him so deeply, yet they did. He nearly burst into tears a second time. 

The only thing he could manage was a soft, "Thank you, Janne. Be careful." He poked his head out of the alleyway, and then rounded the corner without looking back, silently making his way back to the Inn with his arms wrapped around himself. It didn't feel the same. 

Janne, who decided he'd leave a little later in case anyone had seen Yew leave just then, leaned back against the wall, arms wrapped around himself in a similar way. No, definitely not the same. 

'..He'll be alright. He's got them with him, they protect him.' It took the fencer a moment to realize just what exactly he was thinking. Worrying about him? The enemy? The enemy. His best friend. Former best friend. Enemy. Enemy. Enemy. 

He found himself repeating that word in his head, though somehow he just didn't feel the same resolve as he did before this night.

**Author's Note:**

> When Janne was humming, I was listening to Light in the Hallway by Pentatonix, so think of that when you read it I guess.


End file.
